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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Period I: Why did conflict break out between Iraq and Kuwait in 1991? What were some attempts to resolve the conflict?
Period II: Why did war break out between Iraq and Kuwait in 1991? What were some responses to the invasion?

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Part of the Berlin Wall on display in Singapore. The piece titled Kings Of Freedom, by well-known German graffiti artist Dennis Kaun, depicts a colourful, joyful king representing West Germany and a pale, blindfolded one, signifying East Germany. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
QUIETLY, with only a handful of Bedok Reservoir Park regulars watching, a little bit of history was made yesterday, or rather, uncovered.

At 5.30pm, workers took the wraps off four panels - each 4m high - of the Berlin Wall that are going on display in Bedok Reservoir Park.

The low-key unveiling was a deliberate move by the organisers.

Said Ms Jennie Chua, who chaired the fund-raising committee for the project: 'The centrepiece is the wall and you don't need the razzmatazz to express the meaning of the wall. The panels speak for themselves.'

Added Ms Chua, who is Singapore's non-resident Ambassador to Slovakia: 'This is a piece of important history and to do anything else but have a low-key, dignified ceremony would not be correct.'

Indeed, even the launch ceremony later in the evening was simple.

The 300 guests - including Foreign Minister George Yeo and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua - gathered before a small stage in front of the historic panels to listen to a few speeches. After that, they tucked into a buffet that included fried noodles and satay.

During his speech, Mr Yeo stressed that the panels were not simply a reminder of the past. 'The wall should not only be a dry relic from the past from a faraway place, but a living heritage, an icon which draws people to it, provoking thought and discussion.'

That the panels found their way to the heartland, he explained, can be put down to 'happy coincidences'.

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Can you ever shake off the past? It may be 2010, but have you completely left 2009 behind? Is it even possible? History is about living things and people who never forget!

Agenda for Term 1 week 1
1. Check on completed SEQs you did not attempt in SA2 for both SS and HE.
2. Check on notes for Cold War (HE) and Diplomacy-Deterrence (SS).
3. Check on completed notes for previous chapters covered in 2009.